


Bernie and Her Bears

by Lord_Byron_Mudkippington



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:33:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22896502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington/pseuds/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington
Summary: Edelgard attempts to get Bernadetta to be more social, and discovers something that Bernie hadn't been prepared to reveal.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/Bernadetta von Varley
Comments: 10
Kudos: 118





	Bernie and Her Bears

It was rare for Bernadetta and Edelgard to spend one-on-one time together. Pretty much everyone in the Black Eagle house needed attention from Edelgard, otherwise the entire house would go off the rails. Being the head of the house was tiring, but she cared about every one of them. It was just that she could only focus so much on each of them, and time alone with them wasn't as easy to swing as one might think. Today just happened to work out for the two of them. Their Professor was teaching a course that had most of the house in the classroom. Hubert was still skulking around, but Edelgard had convinced him to not stand around her like a shadow. As she put it, if Bernadetta turned out to be a double agent and killed her, she deserved it for not realizing that.

The two of them were sitting on Bernadetta's bed together, with a healthy distance between them. Despite the calming presence she tried to project, Bernadetta still was squirming around, looking left and right as if trying to find an exit in case Edelgard decided to execute her right where she sat. If she could be honest, it was somewhat annoying. She tried her hardest with Bernadetta, understanding that she had a rough time growing up, and there were scars from that life that no one else could see. It was something she could relate to, although she wasn't prepared to share that truth quite yet.

However, Bernadetta could be a little... well, _much_. She was more skittish than a mouse: if anyone even dared to talk to her, she would become convinced they hated her or wanted her dead, and then she'd run away as fast as possible. Admittedly, it was impressive how fast someone with that tiny of a body could be. She would give a horse a run for its money. However, it wasn't worth the headache of trying to corral her into doing anything. The simple task of leaving her room seemed to be a mountain too high to climb, which was just something that Edelgard would never understand.

Now, however, they were in the same room together, and there was no one else to scare Bernadetta away. No one except her, of course. Apparently she had a certain aura about her that intimidated certain people. That was what her Professor had told her, anyway. She had said it so offhandedly, as if it was no big deal. It shouldn't have been, but she'd found herself staring in the mirror, trying to see what the Professor was talking about. To her, she seemed like a normal girl, or as normal as someone who was bound to lead an entire empire would. She even smiled for her reflection and didn't feel put-off. Maybe it was just something about her that she couldn't figure out or change.

She was doing her best to mitigate that issue, though. The distance they maintained was started by her, to make sure Bernadetta realized that she respected her boundaries. As best she could, she softened her voice so there couldn't be any way Bernadetta thought she was going to commit some heinous act against her. Of course, it was Bernadetta she was talking about: who knew how she would take anything, even if it was for her benefit. 

Of course, their conversation was about business as usual: specifically, the school and their extracurriculars. She was trying to get Bernadetta to understand that she couldn't just spend her entire life in her room. There were bonding moments with her fellow Eagles that she was missing by holing herself up all the time. It wasn't a surprise that Bernadetta was resistant to the idea of socializing, but she wasn't going to let it go that easily. She knew that if Bernadetta just tried to be a bit more social, she'd realize that the students at Garreg Mach weren't scary and out to kill her. They all wanted her to be comfortable with them. Besides, it would be nicer if she was on the front lines of battle with them instead of hiding in bushes and errantly shooting arrows in the general vicinity of their enemies.

While they were talking and admittedly not getting far, Edelgard noticed something. On a chair next to Bernadetta's desk, she had tossed her jacket over it. However, there was something sticking out from beneath the jacket. It was barely visible, but it was brown and appeared to be made of some sort of fuzzy material. Since things were going circular with Bernadetta, curiosity got the best of her, and she stood up to go see what it was.

"Edelgard?" Bernadetta sounded confused, which was admittedly very cute. She was like a really insecure cat sometimes, tilting her head like she was trying to figure out what was going on. "What are you- A-AHHH!!!" She suddenly let out a hellacious scream, which made Edelgard swirl around in surprise. What in the world had happened?! She saw Bernadetta leap up from the bed and rush over, almost in the blink of an eye. Then she was standing in front of the chair, clearly trying to block her vision of something.

"What are you doing?" Edelgard knew exactly what she was doing, but she figured she'd give her a chance to explain herself.

"Uh, uh..." She fidgeted nervously, shifting around to try and better hide whatever was under that jacket. Her fingers tented together in front of her stomach. "Nothing, Edelgard!" That was so unconvincing that she felt bad for her. "Nothing at all! Why don't we go back and talk about... uh, about me going outside, or... or something..." She trailed off, shaking like a leaf. It was a pitiful sight, and it gave Edelgard a sense of wanting to protect her, like she would a small animal.

"Bernadetta." Her voice was one that wasn't to be trifled with, as befitting the future Emperor. Bernadetta let out a high-pitched squeak, standing at attention. "Please move out of the way." It was clear that she wanted to defy that order, but she also couldn't make herself do that when she was being ordered. With a worried whimper, she moved out of the way, allowing Edelgard to step forward and lift up the jacket.

Sitting on the chair was a bear plushie: one of those that Edelgard had seen being sold in the market square. This one had some modifications to it, though. Instead of the armor it usually wore, it was wearing a tiny Black Eagles school uniform. On top of its head was a mop of green hair, and its face had been embroidered to look as if the bear was sleeping. If she didn't know any better, she could've sworn it was...

"Linhardt?" There was no doubt: the bear was dressed to look like Linhardt. She turned to Bernadetta, who looked as if she had been caught conspiring against the Empire. "Did you make this, Bernadetta?"

"I, uh, I..." Such a simple question was enormously complicated for her. "Yes, I did..." Her head drooped low. She was clearly embarrassed at her work being discovered, even if there wasn't actually anything wrong with it. "You've done it now, Bernie. Edelgard knows how much time you waste making these stupid things. She's going to kick you out of her house for sure. I'll have to live in the woods, and the rabbits are going to kill me..."

It was time to stop her brain before it broke. "Bernadetta." Another squeak, and she was at attention once more. "There is nothing wrong with you doing this. It's actually kind of cute." She lifted the Linhardt bear up, admiring the craftsmanship of the uniform. It was very well-done: clearly, Bernadetta had skills in crafting and embroidery. Sure, it wasn't helpful in battle, but she wasn't against any of them having hobbies. They all needed something to focus on in their downtime, and if it kept Bernadetta from running off into the woods, she was all for it.

"Really?" She was shocked that Edelgard wasn't angry about finding out what she did in her spare time. Of course, she was still embarrassed about her hobby being discovered, but at least she wasn't about to be personally executed in her room. "I'm... I'm glad to hear that." She gave Edelgard a small smile, still fidgeting around. "I've been getting bears from the market to make one for everyone in our house." Once she had finished, she wanted to give them all to her fellow Eagles when she felt comfortable doing so. Which, admittedly, was probably never.

"That must be a lot of work." Edelgard set the Linhardt bear back down on the chair, facing Bernadetta again with a soft smile. Though she could still see that she was uncomfortable, she was opening up just a little. That was progress, and she felt like it was imperative that she continue down that line of conversation. "How long have you been working on them for?"

"A couple of months." She looked down at her feet, feeling a sudden bout of shyness. "I haven't finished them all yet, though." It took time to gather the materials she needed to sew everything, and she had to find time to work on them in between her daily panic attacks. Honestly, it was kind of a miracle that she had any of them done at all. To hear Edelgard say they were cute, though... It made her feel just a teensy bit validated.

"Well, if you finish the one you're making based on myself, I would like to see it." Perhaps it was narcissistic to request something like that, but she was still very curious about how she would look as one of those bears. Bernadetta had quite a talent for it, and she wanted her to know that she supported her in those endeavors. "Of course, that doesn't mean you have to make one on me. Please don't think that I'm making you do extra work on my behalf."

"Thank you," Bernadetta whispered, her cheeks quickly turning red. She was embarrassed about something, though Edelgard wasn't sure what it was. "I, um... Please hold on for a moment." She bowed deeply, then went over to one of her cabinets. Opening it up, she reached inside and grabbed something. Edelgard could see a bit of white, but then Bernadetta hid it against her chest and blocked it from view. She came back over, still holding it to her chest and looking super nervous. Finally, after a full minute of internal debate, she shut her eyes and thrust her hands forward.

To Edelgard's surprise, what was in Bernadetta's hands wasn't a bear. Instead, it was a white eagle: a bit crudely made as opposed to the Linhardt bear, but it was something that she had never seen before. It seemed like Bernadetta had actually made it herself, as opposed to buying a pre-made bear and dressing it up with clothing she sewed herself. 

"I... did not expect this." She took the eagle from Bernadetta's hands and examined it closer. It was dressed up in her house leader attire, complete with a resplendent red cape. There were angled eyebrows on the eagle, making it look a bit fierce: angry, even. It made her wonder if she looked like that to Bernadetta all the time. Even if she didn't mean to come off that way, it's possible that would explain Bernadetta's terror around her.

"You didn't? Oh, I knew it! You hate it, don't you? I'm sorry! I never should've done this!" She tried to snatch the plush back, but Edelgard kept it out of reach. 

"Hold on, Bernadetta. I didn't say that I hate it. Far from it, actually. This is rather incredible." Truly, Bernadetta had a talent for this. She couldn't help but continue to look over each part of the plush bird, admiring the craftsmanship and effort that Bernadetta had put into it.

"Oh! Th-Thank you..." It seemed that she was fidgeting more from the praise than when she was scared. "Leonie helped me make it, though." She decided to not mention how hard it had been to even talk to Leonie, much less ask her for help with the sewing process. When Leonie had told her she didn't know how to make stuffed animals, she'd just given up and tried to escape back to her room forever, which made the Golden Deer girl stop her and agree to at least try and help. The finished product wasn't perfect, since it was a bit misshapen from their combined inexperience at creating such things. At least it _looked_ like an eagle.

"I'll have to thank her as well, then." It was surprising to hear that Bernadetta would talk to someone else, especially a member of another house, to get help on creating the eagle. She couldn't help but wonder why hers was different than the others, though. It wasn't just an eagle, after all: it was _her_ eagle. This was made specifically for her, and as far as she had been told, the others were designed around the market bears. "I'm curious, though. How come you made mine an eagle instead of a bear like everyone else's?"

"Oh, uh, well..." Honestly, if she started fidgeting any more, her limbs were liable to fall off. "B-Because you're the leader, and I wanted yours to be special." She started to blush, a deep red that rapidly took over her face. "You've been so important to our class, and I... I think I would've died on the battlefield without your leadership. And you're, you're..." She curled her hands into fists and shut her eyes, yelling out, "... you're really, _really_ important to me!"

Edelgard's eyes widened at Bernadetta's sudden outburst. She had heard tales of this happening, but it always involved bouts of fear and self-loathing, followed by her running away. This time, she was saying something surprisingly sweet, and she was still standing there. Sure, she had a brilliantly red face and her entire body was shaking, not to mention her eyes were still closed. Still, it was different than the tales she'd heard from her fellow Eagles.

"Bernadetta, I..." She was almost at a loss for words, struggling to properly respond to such an out-of-the-blue proclamation. "I am glad to hear that. As your leader, I do hope you can continue to trust me to keep you alive on the battlefield." She smiled, a light blush crossing her cheeks. "Also, you're very important to me as well. I've been worried about how you spend too much time in your room, but..." She held the plush eagle up again, unable to keep herself from smiling. "... I think you're making progress already."

"R-Really?!" Bernadetta opened her eyes, gawking at Edelgard. She had just expected Edelgard to give up on her and let her live the rest of her life in solitude, holed up in her dorm room. However, not only had she _not_ given up, but now she was saying she was making progress. Was she saying there was hope for her? No, there was no way... But she was looking at the eagle she had made like it was a treasured possession, instead of the sad lump she had believed it to be. "Th-Thank you, Edelgard! I'll... I'll try my best! For you..." Her blush crept down her neck, which made Edelgard giggle. "Wh-What?"

"Nothing, Bernadetta." She straightened up, her expression no longer looking so scary to Bernadetta. "If you're finished with this one, do you mind if I keep it? It's quite good, and it's from you, so that makes it special." As the daughter of the Adrestian Emperor, she was used to getting gifts, most of which she had no use for. This was different, though. It was from one of her classmates- No, one of her _friends_ , and it was handcrafted with heart. Those weren't the kind of gifts she was used to getting. It made her want to keep smiling, and that seemed to ease Bernadetta up.

"O-Of course! I was going to give it to you when I was done with them all anyway." Again, _if_ she had ever felt confident enough to do it. Right now, though, Edelgard made her feel that confidence to let her take the eagle plush. She felt warm inside knowing that her leader liked it enough to ask for it. Maybe there really _was_ hope for her yet.

"Well, I suppose I should get going now. I'm sure you've had enough social interaction for today." She started to head for the door, calling over her shoulder, "We should continue speaking this week, though. It would still behoove you to get out more and socialize with your classmates. You've done good today, though, so you deserve a break."

"W-Wait!" Edelgard stopped at the door, turning to see Bernadetta with an arm outstretched. As soon as she noticed Edelgard looking at her, she dropped her arm, embarrassed all over again. "I... I was thinking..." She clasped her hands together, squirming where she stood. "M-Maybe we could... I-I mean, if you want to!" Her lips clamped shut, and she didn't finish explaining what she meant, but Edelgard was able to piece it together quickly.

"I would love to stay and talk with you some more." Smiling, she walked away from the door and went back over to the bed, sitting down and patting the spot next to her. "Is it alright if I see the other bears that you've made?"

"S-Sure!" She went back to the dresser and pulled out six more bears, scooping them out and carrying them over to the bed. Edelgard looked them over, fascinated. There had clearly been a lot of work put into all of them, at least the ones that were done. Two of them were bereft of any alterations, but the rest were in various states of patchwork.

"This must be Hubert," she mused, picking up a bear with a mess of black hair on top of its head. She didn't need the familiar hair to let her know who the bear was supposed to represent, though. The cunning, sinister look sewn onto its face gave it away. "Are you really that scared of him?"

"He's really creepy," Bernadetta admitted, looking left and right as if she expected Hubert to phase through her walls to execute her for what she said. "He's your retainer, not ours." Even though he hadn't killed any of them yet, she knew one bad look in Edelgard's direction would have them strung up by their ankles until the blood rushed to their heads and it popped like a grape.

"I suppose I can understand that." She put Hubert's bear down and picked up one with familiar, shaggy purple hair. "Hey, I found yours." She looked at its face, noticing that there were no changes to its expression. "Have you not finished your own bear?"

"That's the one I'm currently working on." She sat next to Edelgard, letting herself feel a familiar sense of momentary panic. "Is it self-centered of me to make a bear of myself? Oh no, I should throw it out-"

"Bernadetta." Edelgard stopped her in her tracks. "It's not self-centered at all. You said you were making bears for all of the Black Eagles. That includes you." She smiled and placed Bernadetta's bear on her lap, letting it lie against her own eagle. "I think these two should sit together, just like we are. Don't you think?"

"A-Ah, yes, of course..." She couldn't stop blushing, staring at the two plushies lying together on Edelgard's lap. Then she realized she was staring at Edelgard's lap, and her head snapped back so fast she nearly gave herself whiplash. She could actually feel the heat radiating off her face. "They're very cute together!" Wait, no! That wasn't what she was supposed to say! "No, wait, I didn't mean that!" No no no, now it sounded like she _didn't_ think they were cute. Edelgard would think she was saying she wasn't cute! "N-No, not like that! You're very cute! I-I mean, wait, I-" She was about to either faint face-forward, or run and abandon her own dorm room.

"Breathe, Bernadetta." Edelgard grabbed her hand, pulling it in her lap and over the two plushies. Rather than breathing, Bernadetta was sure she was going to have a heart attack. However, the warmth coming from Edelgard's hand slowly forced a feeling of calm to move up her arm and all over her body. She began to unwind from completely seizing up, getting to a point where she felt strangely calm. She was able to breathe again, even if it was a bit more ragged than normal.

"Th-Thank you," she whispered, clutching Edelgard's hand. She hoped that she wasn't holding it too tightly, or that she wasn't sweating too much. Her hand felt really nice. It was calloused, but with a smoothness that made it seem like she used some sort of skin softener. Not that she'd ever say that out loud, or ask what Edelgard used! That was surely private information.

"Are you okay now?" She nodded, and it wasn't a lie this time. Edelgard's presence was actually making her calmer. That was a far cry from the intimidating presence she had given off when they first met, and also every other time until now. Maybe, just maybe, she had been letting her mind run too far and get the best of her. She looked down at their entwined fingers, and then at the two plushies still on Edelgard's lap. There was something nice about this scenario. It felt calming, even though she wasn't alone.

"I feel calmer now." She gave Edelgard a soft smile, giving her hand a squeeze. When Edelgard smiled back at her, she felt like her heart had skipped a beat, and the heat continued to flow into her cheeks. Something felt different, and she had a feeling that she knew what it was. How could she admit it out loud, though? This was Edelgard she was talking about: the future Emperor of the Adrestian Empire! There was no room in her confidence for little ol' Bernie.

"Good. I'm glad to hear that." Edelgard continued to hold her hand, even after she had admitted to feeling calmer. It felt like there had to be a reason for it, but she couldn't fathom anything close to the truth her mind was considering. That was just impossible! Still... They could at least sit together like this for a little bit longer, right? No one would be hurt by that. Edelgard's presence made her feel better anyway, and wasn't that better for their house as a whole?

She still loved being alone, but maybe there was something to having another person there by her side. As long as that person was Edelgard, anyway. And maybe, just maybe, she could learn to venture out of her room to talk to the other members of her house more. If Edelgard was by her side, holding her hand, she felt like she might just be able to do that.

For now, though, she didn't feel like going out and socializing. Staying inside and sitting next to Edelgard in bed was more her speed. She looked over at Edelgard, who looked back with a smile. It seemed like they were going to be there for a bit, and for once she didn't mind. In fact, she was looking forward to it. With a full, real smile, she pointed to the stuffed bears and resumed showing them off. It made her feel so good to see Edelgard taking a legitimate interest in them, and not making fun of her. She was feeling like she could actually take on the world!

At least, she could if Edelgard was next to her. Maybe not the _whole_ world either... But she could start building up to it. For starters, she would stand and shoot her bow for real, without hiding in the bushes next time. For Lady Edelgard.


End file.
